Fence-making machine



(No Model.)

B. A. WELDS.

l EENGE MAKING MACHINE. l No. 352.212. l y Patented Nov. 9,1886.

'V 'M' -l' q l N. PETERS. PhamLnwgmpher. washingtrm. liA Q UNITED STrrrnsA PATENT OFFICE.,

BENJAMIN A. VELDS, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

FENCE-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part o Letters Patent No. 352,212, dated November 9, 1886.

X Application filed August 17, 1886. Serial No. 211,150.V (o model.)

` to be a full, clear, and exact description of the parts.

invention, such as will enable others skilled in thev art to which, it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,whichform part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to an improvement in fence-making machines; and it consists in, rst, the combination of the frame with the` boar'd upon which it rests, and which is provided with pins or projections upon both sides, the pins being placed a greater distance apart on one side than the other; second, an iron rod having a series of hooks connected thereto, and whichis used in connection with thetension mechanism for the purpose of both guiding the wires and giving the wires a bend just beyond the tension-holder, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter. l

Figure 1 is a perspective of a machine, showing my invention complete, Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detail views cf the different A represents the frame of the machine, which will be of any desired height, and inside of which are journaled a suitable number of` twisting-wheels, B, which are connected together by means of id1e-wheels C. When the crank D is applied to the shaft E, the two beveled wheels F cause all of the twisting and idle wheels to revolve together.l The wires are used in pairs, and are passed through openings made through the twisting-wheels in the usual manner, so that when the wheels are made to revolve the wires are twisted together, as shown.

The base G, upon which the machine is placed while in fuse, is provided with a double row of studs, pins, or projections, c, upon its, upper side, for the purpose of holding the lower end of the `machine in position, and upon its under side with a single row of projections, a, which may be placed farther apart p or nearer together than the double row upon moved each time that a picket is to b'e inserted between the Wires, the base is reversed and the .projections upon the under side arebrought into play. The projections upon the under side of the base serve to hold the base in position by catching in the ground, and thus prevent the base from moving while the machine isin use. Heretofore bases have been used having notches on one side only. Such bases have only one adjustment for the machine, and, having nothing to hold themin position upon the ground, will slide back and forth whenever a strain is brought to bear upon them.l

For the purpose of movingthemachine along upon the base as fast as each paling is inserted into position there is pivoted to the Y lower end of the machine the lever H, which has its outer free end bent downward, as shown, and adapted to be operated by the foot. (lonnected to this' lever is an adjustable dog or pawl, I, which is sharp at its lower end, so as to catch against the base or ground, and thus serve in connection with the lever to lift the lower end of the machine up and move itforward. Y By having the end of the lever H turned downward, so as to be operated by the foot alone, both hands are left free for the purpose of moving the top of the machine and inserting pickets, thus enabling one man to operate the machine much more rapidly than can be done where the machine must be moved by hand.

Secured to one side of the frame A are a suitable number of sockets, J, into which the lengths can be used, according to the distance desired between the pickets.A

In order to regulate the distance the lower wire shall be raised above the ground there is adjustably secured to the lower end of the frame A,on the opposite side from the lever IOO of the slots, and hence can be depressed below the lower end of the frame A, so as to form the only support upon which the frame will rest. In proportion as this plate L is forced downward, so the wires are raised upward above the ground. In order to brace the upper end of the frame and hold it in an upright position, there is pivf oted to the perforated support M the brace O, having its outer f ree end bent so as to catch bchind the edge of the last paling secured in position, as shown. The end of this rod catching behind the paling prevents the upper end of the machine from being forced forward, and thus causing the machine to do irregular and uneven work. Then this brace is to be detached from the paling,the machine is pushed sidewise far enough at its upper end to allow it to become readily detached, and thus it can be used in connection with palings which eX tend any desired height at their upper ends above the upper wires. Herctofore a loop provided with a roller has been dropped over the top of the picket, and thisloop can only be used in connection with pickets which have their ends projecting upward a certain height. If the end of the picket projects up but a very slight distance above a certain point, then this j loop cannot be uscd, because it cannot be detached from the picket by simply raising it upward.

For the purpose of holding the upper ends of allof thepickets upon a certain level, there is adjustably secured to the frame A thc gage Q. This gage consists of a piece of iron bent at a right angle, and which projects above the upper end of the frame A, and beyondits side just far enough over the picket which is being inserted into place. By means of a device of this kind the ends of the'pickets are all secured upon the same level, and a much neater fence is produced.

The upright I), to which the tension-blocks Q are fastened, is placed any desired distance beyond the machine A, and is anchored to the ground by means of chains R, which are fastened at their lower ends to a stake, which is driven into the ground, as shown in Fig. l. These chains and the stake serve to hold this upright against all strain which is exerted upon block and the standard. Upon the inside of Eo each of these blocksis made aseries of recesses, so as to receive theproj ections or dowcls which are formed upon and project from the standard, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The wires in passing between theblocks Qand thcnprights pass in between these dowcl-pins and around the bolt, and are thus given a sufficient kink or bend in order to make them takea hold upon the wires. Used in connection with this tension mechanismis an iron rod, U, which is provided with a number of hooks or catches, V,which extend beyond its two edges. These hooks serve to catch the wires and hold them so that they will be drawn straight th rough the twisting-wheels in the frame A. This iron rod is provided with aperforation at each end, and is connected to the upright P by means of suitable wires, XV, which hold it in position. As the wires pass from the tension-blocks Q they are bent toward cach other, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to give them an additional kink or bend, and thus increase the tension upon the wires.

Having thus described my invention, I

. BENJAMIN A. WELDS.

XVitnesses:

A. S. PnTTIsoN, A. W. BRncH'r. 

